Survey of the States 2011: The State of Economic and Personal Finance Education in our Nation’s Schools

"Just as it was not possible to live in an industrialized society without print literacy – the ability to read and write – so it is not possible to live in today's world without being financially literate. To fully participate in society today, financial literacy is critical."
-Annamaria Lusardi, Denit Trust Professor of Economics and Accountancy at the George Washington University School of Business

On March 12 the Council for Economics Education released the seventh Survey of the States. The Survey of the States is a biennial report that brings attention to the critical importance of economics and personal finance education by documenting its status in the fifty states and the District of Columbia.

 

The recent economic downturn has brought nationwide attention to the dangers of a financially illiterate society. The 2011 Survey shows that while there has clearly been progress since the first Survey in 1998, that over the last two years, the trend is slowing and in some cases moving backwards.

 

Key Findings

·         The number of states that now require students to take an economics course as a high school graduation requirement increased from 21 in 2009 to 22 in 2011.

·         However, only 16 states require the testing of student knowledge in economics, 3 fewer than in 2009.

·         No improvement has been seen in the area of personal finance. The number of states that require students to take a personal finance course (or personal finance included in an economics course) as a high school graduation requirement remains at 13.

·         Only 2 more states now require that personal finance content standards be implemented, bringing the total to 36.

The full report can be found here:

http://www.councilforeconed.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/2011-Survey-of-the-States.pdf

Ryan H. Law, M.S., CFP^(r), AFC

 

Personal Financial Planning Department

Office for Financial Success Director

University of Missouri Center on Economic Education Director

 

162 Stanley Hall

University of Missouri

Columbia, MO 65211

 

573.882.9211 (office)

573.884.8389 (fax)